What it means to win a College of Law scholarship award

As the College announces details of its 2013 scholarship awards for the LL.B, GDL, LL.M LPC and BPTC, we spoke with some of the 2012 winners to find out what the awards have meant to them.

With several awards available each year including the opportunity of a full scholarship, covering full fees towards a College GDL, LL.M LPC and BPTC, as well as ten awards of £3,000 towards a College LL.B degree, there were many successful and happily smiling students at the recent presentation ceremony for the 2012 awards at the Moorgate centre.

After they had received their certificates (and their cheques!) we asked the winners to explain what their awards had meant to them. Here are just some of the things that they said:

Helping to strengthen pupilage applications

Laura Morgans, who won a full scholarship towards the BPTC, describes the award as “an invaluable asset to my pursuit of a career at the Bar which I firmly believe will strengthen my applications for pupilage”.

Laura’s entry was an electronic video presentation featuring student interviews talking about the discussion topic “the modern bar; diverse and open to all?” She explains her approach. “I visited the University of Wolverhampton (formerly a polytechnic institute, situated in an area of low affluence) and the University of Oxford (the oldest UK University and a world renowned institute) to interview students about their perceptions of diversity at the Bar. I filmed interviews with students who had considered a career at the Bar and asked them whether they felt the profession really was open to all and reflective of modern society. I asked students whether they felt that they had equal prospects of success based on their University background, ethnicity, age and affluence. I compared student video interviews to Barometer report statistics and extracts of speeches given by members of the Bar profession. I wanted to produce a piece of work which attempted to examine public perceptions of the Bar profession, in comparison to the picture painted by statistics from professional reports”. Judging by her success in winning the scholarship, it is fair to say that Laura succeeded in these aims!

Invaluable financial assistance for undergraduate LL.B students

Even when signing-up to a two-year law degree course (as opposed to the more usual three-year degree course), the financial burden can be huge on undergraduates despite only having two years’ worth of course fees to find. That’s why the College has chosen to make ten awards of £3,000 available against the cost of the first year fee.

Some of the 2012 winners told us what this has meant to them

18-year old Dane Powell from Loughborough: “The scholarship has allowed me to be financially secure during my stay at university, releasing a burden off my shoulders and thus allowing me to focus on my studies without any financial concerns. It is also an acknowledgement that my future career choice as a solicitor is a correct one for me to pursue.”

19-year old Amy McFarland from Kent: “The award has helped me no end. With the first instalment of £3,000 generously paid for, I could afford to buy myself a laptop and printer to be able to help with the workload from the College. As a result, I can focus effectively on my work without having to worry quite so much about the stress of the debt encountered to be able to attend university”.

18-year old Megan Cherry, also from Kent: “Winning the award has helped me in many ways. Saving on first years tuition fees has enabled me to buy a new laptop to help me with my studies and has also helped with funding my travel to the College.”

Sheron O’Connor is an overseas student who has worked as a legal assistant for many years and earlier this year finally decided to apply to the College in order to further her career and help fulfil her goal of becoming a lawyer. “I can’t ever express the relief that I felt when I was called and informed that I had won the award” she explains. “At that time, it was just so significant. I could relax and I was able to focus on other important things I needed to do to move to England. Many things happen in our life to take us down the path we are meant to be on, and I saw this award as an encouraging sign that I was on the right path and it helped guide to me where I am today".